Dating-stamp.



H. E. LIDDLE.-

DATING STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.26,1v909.

Patented 'oct.- '19 UNITE SATES PATENT HENRY EDWARD LIDDLE, OF MUSKEGON,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF IVIUSKEGON,MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

DATING-STAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

Application filed. February 26, 1909. Serial No. 480,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY EDWARD LID- DLE, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of Muskegon, in the county of Muskegonand State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements inDating-Stamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of hand stamps Iintended for marking dates on papers, etc. and which are usuallyprovided with rotatable month, day and year wheels, with a ribbon forinking said wheels, a die being provided which has permanent printingmatter on both sides of the aforesaid wheels. This is a very common formof dating stamp as used in many railroad ticket offices, and asheretofore constructed it is made in two main parts, one of which ishinged to the other and one of which carries the printing char: acters,while the other carries the stamping head and the impression block.

The object of my invention is to provide a wheel lock to automaticallylock said wheels and keep them from turning merely by the closing of oneof the two main parts upon the other. Similarly the opening of the twomain parts of the frame automatically unlocks said wheels so that theymay be adjusted.

WVith this object in view, my invention consists in the stamp, as shownin its preferable embodiment, in the accompanying drawings and ashereinafter more particularly described and then claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part hereof: Figure l is aperspective view of my dating stamp. Fig. 2 is a sectional view throughthe wheels and their lock. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective'view. Fig. 4.is a vertical section.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by numerals: 1 designatesthe main frame of the stamp which is usually provided with twosupporting portions or feet 2 and 3 and which is also usually providedwith two vertical portions 5 and 6 near the front of the machine andwith a vertical portion 8 at the rear of the machine. VVithin andbetween the vertical portions 5 and 6 is supported a series of typewheels, one wheel (10) containing the abbreviations of the months whilethe other wheels (11, 12 and 13) are number wheels to print the days ofthe month and also the years. The day wheels, or the two middle sets ofwheels, are each provided with teeth 15 on their exterior surfaces andwith these two parts engage the usual gear wheels 17 which are connectedto spindles 16 and 1.8 which carry thumb wheels 19 an'd 20. It followsfrom this construction that the day wheels may be independently adjustedby moving either of the thumb wheels 19 and 20 as the occasion mayrequire. The month and year wheels may be adjusted by hand since theseonly have to be moved infrequently.

On top of the vertical portions 5 and 6 is secured the usual inscriptionplate 22 which needs no further description, since it is one ordinarilyemployed.

To the vertical portion 8 at the rear of the main frame 1 is hinged themovable frame 30. This movable frame is hinged to the main frame 1 sothat it may be elevated in order to adjust the wheels without injuringthe ribbon, and in order to lock this hinged frame 30 to the main frame,1 I employ a spring acting bolt 32 which may be shoved inward by thespring finger 341 in order to release the hinged frame therefrom whensaid hinged frame may be moved on its hinge and the stamp opened foradjustment.

In order to lock the wheels from adjustment, I provide a pivot lock orlatch 4-0 which is preferably formed of the construction shown in Fig.3. As there shown it is formed of sheet metal and has two proj ectingmembers 42 and 43 which are of just the proper width to fit over one ofthe rows of printing characters on the various sets of wheels and fitwithin the grooves formed in said wheels. At the lower end of this sheetmetal structure the ends are curved in two tubular parts into which aspindle 11 projects and on which the lock 40 is pivoted. Around thisspindle is fitted a spring which normally tends to hold. the lock orlatch 40 out of engagement with the printing wheels. In order to preventthe lock or latch 40 from moving too far away from said wheels, I employa keeper 52 which is preferably screwed to one of the vertical portions5 or 6. The lock or latch #10 has prefhinged frame 30 when said hingedframe is closed over the main frame 1. As shown 111 -my drawings thisfixed member which is designated is merely a rod which connects the twosides of the hinged member 80 but it is obvious that any other fixedpart of the hinged frame 30, if properly located to come in contact withthe spring member 55, will accomplish the purpose desired.

From the foregoing and accompanying drawings it is obvious that when thehinged frame 30 is in position over the main frame 1, the pivot latch orlock 40 has its members l2 and 43 projecting over the type or charactersof the various wheels in such a way that it is impossible to adjustthem. Hence the machine cannot be tampered with or accidentally changedby any one unless the hinged member 30 is first unlocked and elevatedwith respect to the main frame 1. When this is done, the fixed part ofthe hinged frame 30 moves away from the spring member of the lock orlatch 40 and permits said lock or latch to be sprung by its spring outof contact with the wheels, and hence the wheels may be adjusted in theordinary manner.

It is obvious that changes may be made in my invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof and the scope of the invention may be found fromthe appended claims.

What- I claim as my invention is:

1. In a hand stamp, the combination of two main members, the first onecarrying the printing characters and an inscription plate, and thesecond member closing over the first to form a housing for said printingcharacters, and said second member as it is closed over the first membercoacting to lock the wheels without moving said inscription plate,whereby when the parts are closed the wheels cannot be moved.

2. In a hand stamp, the combination of two main members, the first onecarrying the printing characters and an inscription plate, and thesecond member closing over the first to form a housing for said printingcharacters, and a device independent of said inscription plate coactingwith said wheels for locking the same from adjustment, said device beingcontrolled by the closing of the said second member over the firstmember, whereby when said members are closed the wheels cannot be moved.

3. In a hand stamp, the combination of two main members, the first onecarrying the printing characters, and the second member closing over thefirst to form a housing for said printing characters, an inscriptionplate, a pivoted lock or latch independent of said inscription platecoacting with said characters to lock the same, the second of said mainmembers, as it is closed over the first member to house the printingcharacters, coacting with said pivoted lock or latch and thereby lockingthe wheels in position.

4. In a hand stamp, the combination of two main members, the first onecarrying the printing characters, and the second member closing over-thefirst to form a housing for said printing characters, an inscriptionplate, a pivoted lock or latch independent of said inscription platecoacting with said characters to lock the same, the second of said mainmembers, as it is closed over the first member to house the printingcharacters, coacting with said pivoted lock or latch and thereby lockingthe wheels in position, and means for locking one of said main membersto the other.

5. In a hand stamp, the combination of two main members, one carryingthe printing characters, an inscription plate, a pivoted lock or latchindependent of said inscription plate arranged to coact with saidcharacters to lock the same in position, and a. spring tending to movethe lock or latch away from said printing characters, one of said twomain members co-acting with said pivoted latch to move the same againstthe tension of the spring to engage the printing characters and lock thesame from movement.

6. In a hand stamp, the combination of two main members adapted to closeone over the other, one of said members carrying the printingcharacters, an inscription plate, a pivoted lock or latch independent ofsaid inscription plate arranged to co-act with said printing charactersto lock the same and having a spring tending to move the lock or latchaway from said printing characters, one of said main members, as itcloses over the other, arranged to contact with said pivoted latch andmove the same against the printing characters to lock the same.

Signed by be at Muskegon, Mich, this 12th day of February 1909.

HENRY EDWARD LIDDLE.

Vitnesses IRA C. HoovER, MARIE O. CHAMBERLAIN.

